Sunday 10 June 2012

One•Two•Three/The Matenrou Show Review

One•Two•Three
123/The Mantenrou Show is Morning Musume's longly anticipated 50th single, which is a large mark in Morning Musume's history. This is the first single with after Risa Niigaki's graduation and is the debut single of Sayumi Michishige as the new leader of Morning Musume.

I first heard this song from a live performance they did at Girls Award 2012 and when I saw them perform this song I was very impressed with the song. It was another techno/pop song which I feel is going to be a new direction that this "new" Morning Musume is going to transition to. Because Renai Hunter was such a success with it's techno/dubstep sound, I think Morning Musume will use this new sound to their advantage and gain new fans and gain more popularity than they've had in the past few years. The live audio of 123 wasn't the best quality so there wasn't a lot a I couldn't hear from the overall song. I did like how the bass was very prominent in the song so it created a fuller sound. However, I was not a big fan of the use of autotune, because Morning Musume is such a talented group and their talents have been showcased in live performances so I was disappointed in the use of autotune because it wasn't needed.

Then when the dance shot came out a lot of people had different opinions on the song and I too did change my opinion on the song. In the cleaner studio version of 123 the bass is less prominent as well as the autotune which I was really happy about but the lack of the bass took away a lot of presence from the overall sound so it sounded a little less exciting than the performance version but it still maintained a positive energy that made me want to dance to the song. I have to say that this song makes a fantastic A-side to a single, but it didn't blow me away in terms of it being the 50th single, but I guess my expectations were a little too high for this single (and I know how fussy us Morning Musume fans are). However, I really do love 123 because it has the techno and mature sound that I love from Morning Musume, and it also has a catchy tune and lyrics that make the song memorable and hard to get out of your head after the first listen.

It isn't hard or surprising to hear Reina and Riho being dominant in this single. I really do like these two girls, Reina is a Morning Musume ace and will be until she graduates because she's one of the most talented girls in Morning Musume history. I guess with Riho being a new "ace" of Morning Musume I wasn't surprised for her to be a dominant member in this single, but I still haven't warmed up to her as a fan yet but I do think she has a good voice. I wasn't too happy that Reina and Riho were dominant in this single because this is the 50th single and with this being a mark in Morning Musume's history I thought that more members would be showcased but I guess that isn't the case. Tsunku has auditioned these new girls and with the addition of the 10th gen and soon to be 11th gen I feel like it's a waste of their talents for there to be a large member number when only one or two girls are going to be showcased. However, I do understand that for business purposes Reina and Riho are good for the leads in the song because they are popular members so they'll attract more attention to Morning Musume and their voices are good on records.

Apart from that I was really happy that my bias' did get some exposure in 123! Sayu did get some lines even though they were the end of sentences and I was glad that she shared the HA HA HA parts with Mizuki because they are really fantastic together! I just wish Sayu could have a bit more to sing because she is the leader, but I do understand that just because she is leader it doesn't mean she's suddenly going to get more lines, but I just feel like she's improved a lot and she would have sounded fantastic as a lead on this single. Mizuki and Sayu are my favourite members and I was glad they got some lines...but anyway fangirling aside! Even though I didn't feel like every member was showcased I'm happy that they all got a part at least, even if it was syllable, but I guess I should be happy with what I've been given.

In the dance shot, I was very impressed with the moves because they were very powerful and in synch so it made a very good dance in terms of visualising it all when seeing the girls performing it. Of course Reina and Riho are shown at the front due to them singing the song, but I also noticed Ayumi was also pushed to the front so I'm happy that her dancing skills are being showcased. I also noticed Mizuki and Erina a lot so I'm also happy that they're starting to shine in their own ways in Morning Musume. The only thing I was disappointed with was with the full group formations. I know some members, such as Haruna, aren't the best dancers, but I felt bad for these girls when they were hidden away to the back in the full group formations. Haruna and Kanon were hidden away especially, and I know they aren't the strongest dancers but it isn't really fair for them to be shunned at the back. If they couldn't stand out vocally in the song at least expose them a little in the video. I think maybe Reina's whispered parts could have been given to another member or maybe Sayu especially!

The backdrop of the dance shot was very interesting for me and I'm very curious with how it will look with the final PV. I really loved how they had pieces of fabric draped so they looked like curtains and it reminded me of Only You, but I'm not very keen on the use of a brown colour, I think they could have used a more eye-catching colour. However, I am happy that it doesn't distract from the outfits. The moves in the dance were very powerful, but not too sexy that it looked inappropriate for the younger members. I also know that it's going to be a very fun dance for people to cover on YouTube.
When I first saw the outfits for 123 I did like them but I thought they were more catered for stage outfits for a Morning Musume tour rather than them being used for a PV. However, after a little while I have started to really like them and there are some parts of the outfits that I love and some that I still haven't warmed up to yet. The top halves of their outfits are absolutely stunning with their lolita influences so it shows how Morning Musume are trying to reach out to a more modern, young audience due to lolita being a trend in Japanese youth. I like the use of bows because it makes the look more idol-ish and the use of member colours allows each member to shine in their own way and it symbolises how each individual member of Morning Musume has contributed to the group advancing to the present and continuing to do so in the future. I really did love how they used thigh high socks with a pair of colour co-ordinated boots because it added to the stylish elements to the outfits and I really do love that style.However, the only part of the outfits that I'm still 50/50 with are the skirts. When I first saw the skirts I didn't like them because I didn't like the use of horizontal and vertical stripes. I was trying to imagine the them without the stripes but then it would have made the outfits plain and I hate plain outfits, especially when MoMusu are concerned. However, as time has passed I have warmed up the stripes, I think it was because it was something that was out of the box and I didn't expect it so I may start to love it later on in time.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS:
Reina Tanaka - In her usual style Reina's hairstyle is her usual with a side ponytail, her fringe swept to the side and she is wearing a bow as big as her head. I really love the style and the earrings add another element to it so it's the typical Reina but she still looks as stunning as ever. I loved how she smiled in the performance of 123 as well because I'm used to her performance with a bored expression on her face, but it looks like she is enjoying performing this single so I hope she smiles more because she has a beautiful smile.

Sayumi Michishige - Sayu was styled into her traditional cute persona so she is still the same Sayu we recognise. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail with a small pink bow so she looks cute but I think it would have looked better with her hair down because I love it when her hair is down, and I would have loved it if it was curled like her ponytail but still styled down. It would have made her look really beautiful and maybe even more mature to make her look more like a leader. But she still looked very pretty and cute.

Ayumi Ishida - Even though she may be getting more of a push due to being the 10th generations dance ace I was glad Ayumi wasn't styled too much. Her long hair was plain and straightened down but it did look like some of hair was styled to create a bow on the top of her head and it reminds me of Lady Gaga when she first debuted. However, I think this style really suits Ayumi and she looks very stylish.

Erina Ikuta - I really loved Erina's style in this video. Her short hair was flicked out and was accessorised with a purple hairband so it made her look very sophisticated but I can't really describe it as sexy because she's still at a young age. I have a feeling Tsunku may style her to be a "sexy" member when she grows up in Morning Musume. She never really stood out for me with her style when she first debuted as a 9th gen member, but I'm really starting to notice her beauty now.

Sato Masaki - She hasn't made much of an impact with me yet, so for me she didn't stand out  in 123 even though she had the most paired lines out of the 10th gen in this single. Her hair was a simple short cut with a fringe and was accessorised with a green hairband, which I think was very plain compared to the rest of the members.

Likubo Haruna - She was the first person I looked at when I saw the costumes for the outfit for the first time. When I saw that her member colour was "chocolate" I didn't like it because it wasn't as eye-catching compared to the rest of the member colours, but seeing her dressed in brown has made me realise why she was given it now. With her being a model before she joined Morning Musume, I think Tsunku may use her as a member that is more stylish than talented because she isn't the best singer and her voice is still in it's early stages. I love her hairstyle with how it was styled into twisted bunches because it made her look sassy and stylish!

Kanon Suzuki - I really do love Kanon as a fun member and I do think she has a fantastic voice that could be amazing if she was pushed to the front a little more, but for me she's starting to fade away from me now. I feel like she's losing her infectious smile and you can see that with Kanon lately. I don't think she was happy with how she looked in this song either, because to be honest she looks ridiculous. When I first saw Kanon I thought it was just a bun so I thought it was just shoved up and it was done with. I now realise that it's now a sectioned ponytail and I really do not like it. In relation to the rest of the members she stands sorely, and not in a good way.

Kudo Haruka - Haruka is the youngest Morning Musume member at 11 years old but in 123 she looks old enough to be a senpai member. She really looks beautiful and sophisticated and goes well with the mature sound of this song, but I was happy that she didn't look too sexy, because I'd feel very weird if I called an eleven year old girl sexy. They were some issues from fans about how she looked to sexy for her age, and I do agree with it to some degree but I still think she looks beautiful.

Mizuki Fukumura - I've been so used to Mizuki having her styled down and starting to look a little plain so I was very surprised that she was styled in bunches for this song but I was surprised in a good way! With her being the oldest 9th generation member, I thought this look would have been used for Sato Masaki or some other 10th generation member, but Mizuki still managed to pull this off. If you look at her closely, her bunches look cute but they also look very sassy and her make-up distinguishes that even further, so she's cute but still looks beautiful. I think she's going to continue being even more beautiful in the next single!

Riho Sayashi - I was really happy that Riho didn't get too much styling with her outfit because she would have stood out on her own anyway. She has gorgeous long hair so I was happy that it wasn't tied back, but it's a shame that it's shoved to the side because it doesn't really do anything for her. I don't know what's happened with her fringe because it looks choppy and it doesn't look good on her.

The Matenrou Show
(The video cannot be embedded so to listen to the song please click on this link :))

The Mantenrou Show is the second A-side to 123 and when I heard it I was happy it wasn't another techno song because even though I know Morning Musume is going in that direction musically, I'm happy that this A-side sounded different and it didn't blur into 123. If it had a techno sound it wouldn't have contrasted much with 123 and it would have created a boring single. It does still have some aspects of techno but it's also fused with a sexy disco sound that is very catchy when you first listen to it. However, I do have some issues with the musicality of the song. Some parts of the song sound like it's been recycled from Busu Ni Naranai Tetsugaku which I am not fond of. Because this is the 50th single I thought Tsunku would have made more effort, but it just seems like he went the lazy route and re-used some sounds he wanted to use again to create a simple song.

Again this is a Reina/Riho dominant song which did annoy me to hell when I listened to The Mantenrou Show. However, I do understand that Reina and Riho are aces of Morning Musume at the moment, and for this song to be pleasant  listen mto, and for it to be radio friendly, the best singers are going to be shoved to the front so the song sounds good on radio. The only thing that I can think of for the other members not being showcased is that they still need time to develop their talents before they reach the talents of Reina. Sayu is leader and another senpai member so I was displeased that she didn't have much exposure because she is leader and her voice has improved lots! She sounded fantastic in the Ultra Smart but I guess maybe she still doesn't have the best voice to be the front of a single...but then again remember Kare Issho?! However, I am happy that the B-sides will showcase every generation!

Due to Matenrou meaning skyscraper in Japanese I, like a lot of other fans, imagined the music video being set on a skyscraper, but when I heard the song I can't imagine it being on a skyscraper now. I can imagine it being a glitzy MV but then again we haven't seen the outfits for this single yet so I can't really predict anything strongly yet. Dueto UFA spending a lot more money on MVs lately such as Mano Erina's Song for the Date, I do hope that there will be more effort for the 50th single in terms of the music videos because Morning Musume deserve it very much!

RATING:
1 2 3: 9/10
The Matenrou Show: 8/10